Meanwhile, at the Tsukino residence…
Shingo shook his head as he faced the kitchen door. "No, mom. I don't want to go ice skating." Mrs. Tsukino said. "Oh, honey, you need the practice. I heard Janelyn and Misha will be there giving lessons! Don't you understand what a great opportunity this is?" He nodded. "Yes, but I just don't feel like it. If I practice, I'll just make mistakes." She placed her hands on her hips. "What are you going to do when you compete? You won't be able to sit out a competition just because you don't feel like skating. You need to work on your half-Biellmann. There's a Russian skater who has already mastered it and he's 15. Shingo, you're 11."
Knowing she would not let it go, he said. "Fine. I'll grab my skates and go practice." His mother smiled, cheerfully saying "Take pictures!". Shingo said. "I hope you're not wanting pictures of the Russian skater." She shook her head. "Even though it's only a two-hour flight to there, I meant Janelyn and Misha." He nodded and his mother went back into the kitchen. Shingo went to his room. He loved ice skating at first, but his parents put so much emphasis on practice and comparing him to professionals.
The Russian skater his mother referred to was some teenager, who, upon arriving in Japan, walked the streets shouting for someone named Viktor. He didn't remember the name of the skater, nor did he care. Getting the skates out of his closet, he frowned. He no longer enjoyed the sport. He hated it. His parents continued to encourage him to skate, despite being told he didn't like it anymore. He liked other things too. What he really loved was drawing and calligraphy. Sighing, he headed to the rink. He doubted he'd get any time with Janelyn and Misha. There were probably hundreds of fan-girls already surrounding the area.
Minako blinked as Motoki grabbed her hand and skated away. One minute, Misha was skating with Makoto and the next, Janelyn was storming out onto the ice. Suddenly, Janelyn transformed into a youma and something exploded in the direction she had come from. Chaos erupted and now Motoki was leading her off the ice. She knew why Rei and Ami ditched her. They needed to transform, but so did she. Now she had to figure out how to ditch Motoki. He called out to her over his shoulder to prepare to remove the skates once they're off the ice. She thought she could use removing the skates as an opportunity to get away.
To her surprise, he continued holding her hand as he unlaced and removed his skates. She was in awe at his flexibility and how smoothly he did so while standing. She quickly did the same and when the skates were discarded, he pulled her along until they were in a safe area away from everyone.
Had someone asked Minako what type of character Motoki is, whether it be in a book, movie, or anime, she would have answered with "comedic relief". He was the funny guy. However, this Motoki wasn't being funny. He pushed her against the wall, placing his hands on either side of her head, and his eyes… he looked at her the way Beryl looked at Serenity. He firmly spoke. "Why did you ransack my apartment?"
She thought she had an excellent poker face. She used the silly, dumb blonde stereotype to her advantage, but she was caught so off-guard by his question, that she inadvertently confirmed she was Sailor Venus. "How..."
He smirked. "You and that talking cat of yours went through quite a few things." Minako gulped. How did she fail so badly at her mission? Motoki said. "It was easy to figure out. Your cat is the only white cat with a crescent moon on its forehead. I know you've sneaked him into the arcade several times. I never said anything because he never caused trouble, which is quite odd for a cat that's stuffed in a large purse."
Minako sighed, then narrowed her eyes. "That doesn't mean I'm Sailor Venus, nor does it mean I ransacked your apartment. So why don't you tell me why you've convinced yourself it's me?" Motoki smirked. "When I first asked, you replied with how, not why." She shook her head. "That doesn't explain why you asked me in the first place." His smirk seemed to falter a bit, but his next words made her mind go blank. "I'm Tuxedo Kamen."
Her eyes widened at that. Motoki is Tuxedo Kamen? So much went through her head. Did he really meet up with Reika or was he giving Usagi her communicator back? When she noticed Usagi had the item on Monday morning, she asked Artemis to check its status. Sometime Sunday morning, it had been fixed. They could only assume it was Ami. If Usagi didn't have it Saturday but had it back by Sunday morning to give to Ami, then she must have had it back sometime Saturday night. That shouldn't be possible since Usagi drank juice with a sleeping pill in it. Unless she didn't drink it. Neither she nor Artemis saw her drink it.
The communicator beeped, and he said. "I believe they need you." Minako dashed away and Motoki crumpled to the floor, gripping his hair. Mamoru was going to kill him. If the senshi didn't do it first. Why did he now just remember Mamoru saying the senshi didn't trust Tuxedo Kamen? Didn't… he also say that Queen Beryl was after him?
He muttered, staring wide-eyed at the floor. "What have I done?"
Usagi was lying on a bed, facing the mysterious man. He caressed her face, then pulled his hand away, saying. "You're in love with Tuxedo Kamen, not me." His statement shocked her. "What… no..." She tried reaching for him, but he pulled away, vanishing.
Opening her eyes, she could hardly see through the smoke. Wincing at the pain as she stood, she wondered how much time had passed. Her head was pounding and her hearing was muffled. Taking a step forward, she stumbled, but someone caught her. Looking up, she saw Mamoru. He spoke, but she couldn't hear him. She shook her head, pointing to her ears. He nodded, then picked her up bridal style. Usagi wrapped her arms around his neck as he quickly got them away from the smoke.
Mamoru knew they needed to transform, but he hadn't revealed his identity to her. As far as she knew, her identity was still a secret. Mamoru looked for a place to put Usagi so she could transform after he left to find Motoki. He didn't want to leave her, but the Dark Kingdom was attacking again. He stopped running when they were in a smoke free hallway. "I think we're safe for now." Pausing, he said. "I'm sorry, your hearing still hasn't returned, has it?" As he put her down, he wondered if she was reluctant to let go of him, but shoved the thought to the side. Now was not the time to over analyze things.
Usagi adjusted her clothes, thinking about the dream she just had. Would she not like the civilian identity of Tuxedo Kamen? Would he not like hers? She sighed, wondering if the mysterious dream man really was Tuxedo Kamen in civilian form. Shoving the dream aside, she focused on her current situation. She would think about it more once she was home and in bed. All she had to do was get through the next few hours, then she could go to bed. Then she wouldn't have to pretend everything was okay. Looking up at Mamoru she said. "Thank you. My hearing is almost back to normal. There's still ringing, but it's almost gone." She wondered if it was normal for hearing to return this quickly or if it was her being a senshi.
He said. "Your ankle might be sprained. Are you hurt anywhere else?" She said. "I have a headache and a few scratches, but other than that, I'm fine."
Mamoru nodded. "Right before the explosion, a youma began attacking on the ice." Usagi frowned, slumping her shoulders. She really didn't want to fight. She wondered if Sailor Venus would disguise as her. Did they even want her? Makoto was blunt in telling her they didn't need her after 6pm. Although that could have been because break was ending and they needed to get to class, but what if they really didn't want her around? Mamoru spoke. "This looks like a janitor's closet." He opened the door. "It is. You can hide in here. I've got to find Motoki and we'll find a place to hide." Usagi nodded and hid in the closet.
After waiting, she peeked out the door. Seeing Mamoru had left, she went to find another place so she could transform. Assuming he didn't go the way they came, she began walking, backtracking where they had been. However, she heard Motoki exclaim, "Mamoru! Oh my God!" Whirling around, she worried about him. Was he hurt? Had the youma attacked him? She walked past the closet she had been in and quietly approached the corner of the hallway, trying to determine if she should transform as she listened.
Motoki was talking nonstop, and Mamoru interrupted him. "Slow down. What happened?" Usagi breathed a sigh of relief. Then she wondered why she was concerned about him. Grabbing her broach to transform, she paused as Motoki spoke. "Mamoru, after the youma appeared, Rei and Ami shoved Minako toward me and then ran. I saw this opportunity to be alone with Minako and led her to an empty hall. I confronted her about her being Sailor Venus and ransacking my apartment Saturday night."
Usagi frowned. Minako is Sailor Venus?
Mamoru asked why he thought that and Motoki replied. "Since you told me your secret, I've been more vigilant about how things are in my home. I wasn't sure if it was her, but there was a paw print on the bookshelf. It's the only explanation, and she asked how I knew. I told her I knew about her bringing her cat into the arcade, but not about the paw print. She then asked why I suspected her and well… looking back, I should have told her about the paw print. I… told her I'm you. I told her I'm Tuxedo Kamen. After that, her communicator beeped, and she left. I'm sorry."
She stood there stunned. Mamoru was Tuxedo Kamen? That had to be a joke. Or was it? In her dream, the mysterious man said she loved Tuxedo Kamen, not him. If Mamoru really is Tuxedo Kamen, then it was true. She didn't love him, but Usagi thought about how she liked him holding her and how similar it was to Tuxedo Kamen. Maybe she did like him? She listened as Motoki continued to speak, worried if he would be questioned, kidnapped, or murdered. He wondered what would happen if the senshi found out that Tuxedo Kamen knows Sailor Moon's civilian identity.
Her broach slipped from her hand, hitting the floor with a loud thunk. Mamoru knows her identity. How long had he known? When and how did he find out? The senshi were going to kill her for letting this happen. The sound of her broach hitting the floor got their attention. She quickly picked it up and transformed before they came around the corner.
She said nothing as she ran past them, but when she made eye contact with Mamoru, he had a shocked expression on his face. It wasn't long before she heard him behind her, calling out to her. She didn't stop. Running onto the ice, she saw the battle was well underway. Janelyn and Misha had both transformed into youma and called themselves Zoyrin Geller. The senshi were doing good, dodging attacks and getting their own attacks in. For a moment, Sailor Moon wondered if they needed her. Then the youma noticed her and sent an attack. In her haste to dodge, she fell.
Tuxedo Kamen picked her up and moved out of the way just in time. He whispered, "Motoki doesn't know who you are." She nodded, but didn't know if she should believe him. He threw her in the air as they dodged another attack. Most of the battle was a blur. At some point, Kunzite appeared and the entire place began freezing. Kunzite disappeared and Tuxedo Kamen threw his baton at the thing on the ceiling, causing the temperature drop. She healed the youma. Then everyone went their separate ways, detransforming, and they met up outside of the rink.
Police and medics were outside tending to the injured. Usagi braced herself as Minako approached. Was she going to reveal her identity? Was she going to get a lecture? Minako said. "Usagi… what's Shingo doing here?" Whirling around to face the direction Minako pointed, she blinked as she saw her brother standing there. Sighing when she saw their parents, she said. "I better go." Slowly walking to them, she groaned when her mother noticed her. "Usagi! How could you leave your brother alone? You're supposed to look out for him."
Shingo said. "I wasn't in the building. The senshi battle was already happening by the time I arrived. Besides, we came here separately." Their mother said. "Let's have a doctor check you out anyway." Giving a stern glare, she faced Usagi. "Go home. I will have a talk with you later."
Usagi glared at the clock. 11pm. She tried to think about everything she learned today and figure out what to do. Minako is Sailor Venus. That means her cat is Artemis. No wonder it avoided her. If she saw it, she'd recognize him. For whatever reason, they ransacked Motoki's apartment. Then she found out Mamoru is Tuxedo Kamen, and he knows her identity! All this on top of Mamoru bringing up old memories of ice skating. She didn't want to remember how her parents ignored her. How after the free weekend of ice skating, they only took Shingo. Shoving those thoughts aside, she recalled some of her mother's words from a few hours ago.
"You cannot stop at the Crown Arcade anymore. You go to school and come straight home. You cannot leave the house for any other reason. If you do, I will accompany you."
She tried pushing those thoughts to the side, but she couldn't stop thinking about everything that happened. Yet, she couldn't focus enough to think about it and figure things out. Being too confused to think, she pulled the covers over her head and wished her mind would shut up long enough for her to sleep.
Mamoru stared at the ceiling. He had told Usagi that Motoki doesn't know she is Sailor Moon, but he wasn't sure if she believed him. After all, he had told Motoki he figured it out. She didn't know he only told Motoki that he knows her identity and didn't say who. He had planned on telling her he's Tuxedo Kamen. He had planned on sitting down and talking to her instead of the cat, but things don't always go as planned. Now he had to fix this mess he and Motoki have made. Maybe they can convince Minako he was lying. Then again, Mamoru wondered if he could use that to get information out of Sailor Venus. Looking at the clock, he sighed. It was only 11pm.